422 SENNA : ITS RUINOUS STATE. 



quainted with the customs of the country, immediately 

 started to his feet and got all the soldiers of our party 

 under arms : he then demanded of the natives why the 

 drum was beaten while we were there. They gave an 

 evasive reply; and, as they employ this means of collect- 

 ing their neighbors when they intend to rob canoes, out 

 watchfulness may have prevented their proceeding further. 



We spent the night of the 26th on the island called 

 Nkuesi, opposite a remarkable saddle-shaped mountain, 

 and found that we were just on the seventeenth parallel 

 of latitude. The sail down the river was very fine ; the 

 temperature becoming low, it was pleasant to the feelings ; 

 but, the shores being flat and far from us, the scenery was 

 uninteresting. We breakfasted on the 27th at Pita, and 

 found some half-caste Portuguese had established them- 

 selves there, after fleeing from the opposite bank to escape 

 Kisaka's people, who were now ravaging all the Maganja 

 country. On the afternoon of the 27th we arrived at 

 Senna. (Commandant Isidore's house, three hundred 

 yards S.W. of the mud-fort on the banks of the river : 

 lat. 17° 27' 1" S., long. 35° 10' E.) We found Senna to be 

 twenty-three and a half hours' sail from Tete. 



I thought the state of Tete quite lamentable; but that of 

 Senna was ten times worse. At Tete there is some life : 

 here every thing is in a state of stagnation and ruin. The 

 fort, built of sun-dried bricks, has the grass growing over 

 the walls, which have been patched in some places by 

 paling. The Landeens visit the village periodically and 

 levy fines upon the inhabitants, as they consider the Por- 

 tuguese a conquered tribe, and very rarely does a native 

 come to trade. Senhor Isidore, the commandant, a man 

 of considerable energy, had proposed to surround the whole 

 village with palisades as a protection against the Landeens, 

 and the villagers were to begin this work the day after I 

 left. It was sad to look at the ruin manifest in every 

 building; but the half-castes appear to be in league with 

 the rebels and Landeens; for when any attempt is made 



